how to make a cheese sauce out of shredded cheese

To help keep your cheese stringy, shred it to expose more surface area so the cheese will melt more quickly, bring it up to room temperature before heating so it doesn’t require as much heat energy to melt, and use low, gentle heat. When exposed to high heat-especially for extended periods of time-that’s when the proteins seize up and become firm–squeezing out moisture, then separating. In an article titled The Rules of Melting Cheese, Fine Cooking points out the importance of melting the cheese slowly and gently to yield the loosey-goosiest results.

Case in point, the greasy slick on the top of pizza, and the puddles of grease on your nachos.īut Not Too Much Heat: The melting point of classic cheddar cheese used to make nachos is about 150☏ (66☌). When this occurs you’re left with rubbery, clumpy bits of cheese protein that separate from the fat and moisture. Thing is, once cheese is heated too far beyond its melting point, the proteins firm up and squeeze out moisture-the same way protein does in meat. In order for the cheese to stay beautifully stringy and melty, the protein needs to stay evenly dispersed with the rest of the moisture and fat (an emulsion). The molecules begin to break apart and disperse throughout the fat and water. Increase the temperature by about 40-60 degrees and that’s when the activity starts with the protein. The video below illustrates the plastic, saucy consistency we were after:Īpply Some Heat: At about 90☏ (32☌) the fat in cheese begins to soften and melt. Melting, a phase change from a solid to a liquid isn’t really happening, the cheese becomes fluid, much like what happens to plastic when it’s heated. When heated, the protein molecules break apart and become fluid. The basic building blocks of cheese are milk protein (casein), water, fat, and salt. How can a full-flavor, liquid cheese sauce be made at home? The secret is in the melting properties of cheese, including the temperature of its melting point. When cheese is heated it often turns into a curdled mess with pools of grease. What game day spread is complete without a tray of loaded nachos? Well-suited for a snack or full meal, this no-silverware-required dish is a favorite for its lava-like, smooth-as-silk cheese sauce.

How to make a cheese sauce out of shredded cheese